U.S. patent number 5,727,709 [Application Number 08/645,093] was granted by the patent office on 1998-03-17 for thermally insulated floating beverage container holding device.
Invention is credited to John R. Nobile.
United States Patent |
5,727,709 |
Nobile |
March 17, 1998 |
Thermally insulated floating beverage container holding device
Abstract
A thermally insulated floating beverage container holding device
is disclosed which has an elongate body member having a peripheral
side wall and a bottom wall closing the side wall to form a chamber
for receiving a typical round bottle or aluminum can beverage
container therein. The side wall has an upper portion that is
substantially thicker than the remaining portion of the side wall
to provide floation for the holding device, and a weight is
suitably secured to the bottom of the holding device to proide
sufficient stability that the device holds a beverage container
upright both when immersed in water so that neither will beverage
spill from the container nor will water get into the container to
contaminate the beverage, and when the device is placed on a dry
surface.
Inventors: |
Nobile; John R. (Fairfield,
CT) |
Family
ID: |
24587612 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/645,093 |
Filed: |
May 13, 1996 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/560;
220/603 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
81/3886 (20130101); A47G 2200/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
81/38 (20060101); B65D 043/24 () |
Field of
Search: |
;220/603,560,739 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Moy; Joseph M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wittstein; Martin D.
Claims
I claim:
1. A thermally insulated floating beverage container holding device
comprising:
A. an elongate body member having a peripheral side wall defining a
chamber,
B. means adjacent one end of said side wall for supporting a
beverage container within said chamber, the other end of said
peripheral wall being open to receive said beverage container
within said cheer,
C. means operatively associated with said peripheral side wall for
providing said side wall with thermally insulating and buoyant
characteristics,
D. floatation means surrounding an upper portion of said peripheral
side wall for causing said body member to float in a substantially
upright position, said floatation means extending axially for a
distance less than one half of the length of said peripheral side
wall and having a configuration which extends said floatation means
radially beyond said side wall, and
E. ballast means disposed adjacent said beverage supporting means
for assisting in maintaining said holding device in said upright
position when said holding device is immersed in water, said
floatation means and said ballast means being provided in a
proportion of floatation characteristic to ballast that will
maintain said holding device substantially in said upright position
during depletion of the beverage in said beverage container from
full to empty, whereby when said holding device is immersed in
water with a beverage container therein, said holding device floats
in an upright position with sufficient stability and buoyancy to
prevent beverage from spilling from said beverage container and to
prevent water from entering said beverage container and
contaminating the beverage therein.
2. A thermally insulated floating beverage container holding device
as set forth in claim 1 wherein said floatation means is
approximately three times the thickness of the remaining portion of
said pheripheral side wall.
3. A thermally insulated floating beverage container holding device
as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for providing said
thermally insulating and buoyant characteristics of said peripheral
side wall comprises said peripheral side wall being formed as a
hollow sealable inflatable bladder defining an air cheer
therein.
4. A thermally insulated floating beverage container holding device
as set forth in claim 3 wherein said inflatable bladder of said
side wall terminates adjacent the juncture of said side wall with
said flotation means, and said floatation means comprises a
separate hollow sealable inflatable bladder defining an air chamber
therein.
5. A thermally insulated floating beverage container holding device
as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for providing said
thermally insulating and buoyant characteristics of said peripheral
side wall comprises said peripheral side wall being formed of a
thermally insulating and buoyant material, and said floatation
means comprises said upper portion of said side wall also being
formed of a thermally insulating material.
6. A thermally insulated floating beverage container holding device
as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for providing said
thermally insulating and buoyant characteristics of said peripheral
side wall comprises said peripheral side wall being formed of a
thermally insulating and buoyant material, and said floatation
means comprises a hollow sealable inflatable bladder surrounding
said upper portion of said peripheral side wall and defining an air
chamber therein.
7. A thermally insulated floating beverage container holding device
as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for providing said
thermally insulating and buoyant characteristics of said peripheral
side wall comprises said peripheral side wall being formed as a
first hollow sealable inflatable bladder which terminates adjacent
the juncture of said side wall with said floatation means, and said
floatation means comprises a second hollow sealable inflatable
bladder surrounding said upper portion of said peripheral side
wall, said first and second bladders being joined together to form
a single hollow sealable inflatable bladder extending the full
length of said body member.
8. A thermally insulated floating beverage container holding device
as set forth in claim 7 wherein said first and second bladders are
disconnected from one another to form two separate bladders.
9. A thermally insulated floating beverage container holding device
as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for supporting said
beverage container comprises a bottom wall closing said one end of
said peripheral side wall, and said ballast means comprises a
weight affixed to said bottom wall.
10. A thermally insulated floating beverage container holding
device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for supporting
said beverage container comprises a radially inturned flange
secured to said peripheral side wall adjacent said one end of said
peripheral side wall, and said ballast means comprises an annular
weight affixed to said flange.
11. A thermally insulated floating beverage container holding
device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said floatation means is
provided with a plurality of apertures extending therethrough in an
axial direction for attaching a carrying strap to said beverage
container holding device.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to holding devices for beverage
containers, such as bottles and cans, and more particularly to such
devices which are formed of a sufficiently insulating and buoyant
material to maintain the beverage at a desired temperature and at
the same time support the container in water, such as a pool or the
like, or on a dry surface.
It is well known that during warm weather conditions, it is common
for people to remain cool outdoors by floating in a swimming pool
or other body of water. Numerous types of flotation devices have
been developed for this purpose, such as inflatable or fixed frame
and web water chaises, inflatable mattresses of many different
configurations and various other devices which permit a person to
float with a major portion of his body immersed in the water. This
practice has become quite commonplace with the advent and
development of back yard swimming pools, of which a variety are
available.
During this activity, it is also commonplace for one to drink a
chilled beverage, typically a beverage packaged in a bottle or an
aluminum can such as soda, iced tea or beer. Under these
circumstances, it is desirable both that the beverage remain cold
for as long as possible, and that the person drinking it have some
facility for putting down the beverage container without risk of
spilling when he is not drinking.
The first problem, i.e., maintaining the beverage cold, is
effectively solved by a variety of well known holding devices for
insulating a beverage container, and which are typically used
outdoors in warm weather conditions where ambient temperatures will
rapidly warm a chilled beverage to an unpalatable temperature
before it can be consumed if the container is not stored in an
insulating holder. Such known are generally quite effective to hold
a beverage container securely and upright when they placed on a
supporting surface. However, these devices do not address the
second problem, i.e., that of being able to put the container down
while floating in a pool, since the known insulated beverage
container holders are not designed to float while holding a
container that is full of beverage. Although many of the insulating
materials presently used in the manufacture of insulating beverage
container holders have some degree of buoyancy, it is insufficient
to maintain a full beverage container above the surface of the
water and in a sufficiently upright manner to prevent the beverage
from spilling or water getting into the container.
Flotation devices do exist for holding a beverage container on the
surface of water. Typically these devices comprise a generally
donut shaped inflatable or solid material ring having a web
extending across the central opening on which one can place a
container. These devices, however, are not satisfactory for the
purposes stated above because firstly a container resting on the
central web is not not supported in a stable manner since the
floation ring is susceptable to wave motion of the water, and
secondly they have no provision for insulating the beverage
container against ambient temperature to maintain the beverage
cold.
Thus, it is apparent that there is a need for a beverage container
holding device that is both sufficiently insulated to prevent the
beverage from becoming unpalatably warm under the ambient
temperature conditions in which the device is intended for use, and
which has sufficient buoyancy that it will float while supporting a
full beverage container with sufficient stability that the neither
the beverage in the container will spill during moderately rough
wave action nor will water enter the container to contaminate the
beverage.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention substantially aleviates if not entirely
eliminates the foregoing disadvantages and shortcomings of known
beverage container holding devices. The present invention has the
advantages of being well insulated in order to maintain beverage in
glass bottles or aluminum cans palatably chilled for a relatively
long period of time, having sufficient buoyancy to maintain a full
beverage container above the surface of the water with sufficient
statility that neither will beverage spill from the container nor
will water enter it to contaminate the beverage, has a unique
design which contributes to the stability of the holder when
immersed in water also makes it convenient and easy to hold, and is
stable on a flat surface.
Thus, in their broader aspects, the principles of the present
invention are embodied in a thermally insulated floating beverage
container holding device comprising an elongate body member having
a peripheral side wall defining a hollow chamber, means adjacent
one end of the side wall for supporting a beverage container within
the chamber, the other end of the peripheral wall being open to
receive the beverage container within the chamber, and means
operatively associated with the peripheral side wall for providing
the side wall with thermally insulating and buoyant
characteristics. A floatation means surrounds an upper portion of
the peripheral side wall for causing the body member to float in a
substantially upright position, and ballast mean is disposed
adjacent the beverage container supporting means for assisting in
maintaining the holding device in the upright position when the
holding device is immersed in water, whereby when the holding
device is so immersed with a beverage container therein, the
holding device floats in an upright position with sufficient
stability and buoyancy to prevent beverage from spilling from the
beverage container and to prevent water from entering the beverage
container and contaminating the beverage therein.
In some of its more limited aspects, the floatation means extends
axially for a distance less than one half of the total length of
the peripheral side wall, and is approximately three times the
thickness of the remaining portion of the peripheral side wall,
thereby providing sufficient buoyancy to prevent the holding device
from turning over and spilling beverage from the container when the
holding device is immersed in water.
In one embodiment of the invention, the means for providing the
thermal and buoyant characteristics of the peripheral side wall
comprises the peripheral side wall being formed of a thermal
insulating and buoyant material. In another embodiment of the
invention, this means comprises the pheripheral side wall being
formed as a hollow, sealable inflatable member defining an air
chamber therein. In a variation of this embodiment, the inflatable
bladder of the side wall terminates at the juncture of the side
wall with the floatation means, and the floatation means comprises
a separate hollow, sealable inflatable bladder defining an air
chamber therein.
In all of the embodiments, the means for supporting the beverage
container may be a bottom wall closing one end of the peripheral
side wall, and the ballast means comprises a weight affixed to the
bottom wall. Alternatively, the means for supporting the beverage
container comprises a radially inturned flange secured to the
peripheral side wall adjacent the aforementioned end, and the
ballast means comprises an annular weight affixed to the flange.
Also, it is preferable, in any of the foregoing embodiments of the
invention, that the floatation means be provided with a plurality
of apertures extending therethrough in an axial direction for
attaching a carrying strap to the beverage container holding
device.
Having briefly described the general nature of the present
invention, it is a principal object thereof to provide an insulated
floating beverage container holding device which both maintains a
chilled beverage at a palatable temperature and permits the user to
put the holding device down in water without beverage spilling from
the container or water getting into the container to contaminate
the beverage.
Another object of the present invention to provide an insulated
floating beverage container holding device which is designed and
constructed to have sufficient buoyancy and stability to remain
substantially upright even in modestly rough water to prevent
beverage from spilling from the container or water entering the
container and contaminating the beverage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an
insulated floating beverage container holding device which is
designed and constructed such that the combination of thermally
insulating and buoyant characteristics render it equally suitable
for use in water or on a dry surface.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an
insulated floating beverage container holding device which has
features of design and construction that render it easy to grasp
and hold, is inexpensive to manufacture and market, requires
virtually no maintenance and is easy to carry from place to
place.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention
will become more apparent from an understanding of the following
detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the
present invention when considered in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present
invention showing the holding device in complete form with a
typical beverage container therein.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1 with
the beverage container removed, showing the floatation means as
formed integrally with the body member of thermally insulating and
buoyant material.
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of another embodiment of the
invention in which the floatation means is formed as a hollow,
sealable inflatable bladder.
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of still another embodiment of
the invention in the peripheral side wall and the floatation means
is formed as a hollow, sealable inflatable bladder.
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a variation of the
embodiment shown in FIG. 4 in which the peripheral side wall and
the floatation means are formed as separate hollow, sealable
inflatable bladders.
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of an alternate form of beverage
container supporting means which is applicable to all embodiments
of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings, and particular to FIGS. 1 and 2
thereof, the beverage container holding device of the present
invention comprises an elongate body member, designated generally
by the reference numeral 10, having a peripheral side wall,
designated generally by the reference numeral 12, which defines a
chamber 14 therein and which may be tubular as shown or other
suitable configuration depending on the shape of the beverage
container with which the device is intended for use. Typically the
body member 10 will have a tubular configuration as shown since the
most common forms of beverage containers are round aluminum cans or
glass bottles.
The body member 10 includes means adjacent one end of the side wall
12 for supporting a beverage container therein, and which, in the
embodiment shown in FIG. 2, is a bottom wall 16 which closes one
end of the side wall 12 to support the beverage container when it
is fully inserted into the chamber 14. The other end of the side
wall 12 remains open to permit instant access to the chamber 14 to
facilitate easy insertion and removal of the beverage container to
and from the chamber 14. It will be understood that the overall
length of the peripheral side wall 12 is generally commensurate
with that of the typical soda or beer can, or with that of the wide
portion of a bottle, generally in the range of six to seven inches.
It is not essential that an entire beverage container be disposed
within the chamber 14, but the more it is disposed within the
chamber, the better will be both the thermal insulating
characteristic and the stability of the holding device either when
it is immersed in water or placed on a dry surface.
A floatation means, indicated generally by the reference numeral
17, surrounds an upper portion 18 of the peripheral side wall 12
for causing the body member 10 to float in a substantially upright
position. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the floatation
means 17 comprises the upper portion 18 of the side wall 12 being
formed integrally with, and being substantially thicker than, the
remaining portion 20 of the side wall 12, and which extends axially
for a distance of substantially less than one half of the overall
length of the side wall 12. It has been found that an upper portion
18 having a length of approximately one quarter to one third of the
overall length of the side wall 12, and with a thickness of
approximately three times that of the lower portion 20 of the side
wall 12, affords the best range of both thermal insulation of the
beverage container within the holding device and stability of the
holding device both when immersed in water and positioned on a dry
surface. Thus, the thickness of the entire length of the side wall
12 is selected to provide sufficient thermal insulating
characteristic to maintain beverage in the beverage container at a
palatably cold temperature for the average length of time that is
required to consume the beverage, and yet does not provide
sufficient buoyancy to render the holding device unstable when
immersed in water, even when the beverage container is nearly
empty. The upper portion 18 provides all of the flotation necessary
to maintain the body member 10 upright and with the top of the
beverage container above the surface of the water, even when the
beverage container is full.
The beverage container holding device is provided with means
operatively associated with the side wall 12 for providing the side
wall 12 with thermally insulating and buoyant characteristics. In
the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this means comprises the
side wall 12 and the floatation means 17 both being formed as a
single piece of a thermally insulating and buoyant material. Many
such materials are well known, such as various compositions of foam
material which are highly porous and therefore have excellent
thermal insulating capability and are also quite buoyant due to the
volume of air that is trapped in the body of the material.
The body member 10 is provided with a suitable ballast means
disposed adjacent the beverage container supporting means for
assisting in maintaining the body member 10 in an upright position,
and in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, this means comprises a
weight 22 which is disposed adjacent the bottom wall 16, and may
actually be attached thereto or molded therein if desired. The
purpose of the weight 20 is twofold; firstly, it functions in
conjunction with the floatation means 17 to maintain the body
member 10 in a sufficiently upright position when it is immersed in
water to prevent beverage from spilling from the container or water
entering the container and contaminating the beverage. Also it
provides the body member 10 with sufficient stability when it is
positioned on a dry surface that it will not easily fall over, such
as if it is inadvertently lightly pushed or is subjected to a
slight breeze. Thus, keeping the weight 20 as low as possible in
the body member 10 maximizes its stability both in the water and on
a dry surface.
It will further be seen that the floatation means 17 is provided
with a pair of axially extending apertures 24 therethrough through
which the ends of a carrying strap 26 are passed and secured to
facilitate carrying the holding device from place to place.
Both the bottom wall 16 and the weight 22 are provided with a
central aperture 28 so that a beverage container can easily be
inserted into or removed from the chamber 14 without trapping air
40 or water therein beneath the bottom of the beverage container.
The diameter of the peripheral side wall 12 is selected such that
the inner surface thereof forms a substantially tight fit with the
outer surface of the beverage container. Thus, without the aperture
22, it would be difficult to insert or remove the beverage
container because air could not readily pass between these
surfaces.
In another embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3, the side
wall 12 extends the full height of the holding device, and the
integral floatation means 17 of the previous embodiment is replaced
with an annular inflatable bladder, indicated generally by the
numeral 30, that surrounds the upper portion 18 of the side wall 12
for approximately the same distance as in the previous embodiment,
i.e., about one third of the full height. The bladder 30 is a
hollow, sealable inflatable member and retains the gas therein to
maintain the shape shown unless it is punctured, and the air
trapped between the inner and outer walls 32 and 34 respectively
provides all of the buoyancy that is required to maintain the body
member 10 in a sufficiently stable upright position when immersed
in water to prevent beverage from spilling from the beverage
container and also to prevent water from entering the beverage
container and contaminating the beverage. It is also provided with
the same elongate apertures 24 that are provided in the previous
embodiment through which the ends of the carrying strap 26 extend
to secure the carrying strap 26 to the holding device.
In still another embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 4, the
entire peripheral side wall 12, including both the lower portion 20
and the upper portion 18, is formed as a hollow, sealable
inflatable bladder. Thus, the lower portion 20 of the peripheral
side wall 12 forms a first hollow, sealable inflatable bladder
which terminates adjacent the juncture of the side wall 12 with the
floatation bladder 30, and the floatation bladder 30 forms a second
hollow, sealable inflatable bladder, the two bladders being joined
together at the juncture to form a single hollow, sealable
inflatable bladder which extends the full height of the body member
10. The air trapped between the inner and outer walls 36 and 38 of
the lower portion 20, and 32 and 34 of the floatation bladder 30
provide both the thermal insulating and buoyancy
characteristics.
A variation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is illustrated in
FIG. 5, which is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 4
with the exception that the floatation bladder 30 is separate and
distinct from the bladder which constitutes the lower portion 20 of
the side wall 12. The advantage of this arrangement is that if one
section is punctured, the holding device will still remain at least
partly functional until it can be replaced.
FIG. 6 illustrates a variation of the means for supporting the
beverage container as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which most of the
bottom wall 16 is eliminated, and only a relatively short inturned
flange 40 remains that is integrally connected to the peripheral
side wall 12 as was the case in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2.
With this arrangement, the ballast means is now an annular weight
42 which is secured to or imbedded within the material of the
flange, although other means of providing ballast at or near the
bottom of the side wall 12 could be provided. One advantage of this
arrangement is that it becomes easier to remove a beverage
container from the body member 10 because it can be pushed out of
the open end of the body member 10 by pushing directly on the
bottom surface of the beverage container rather than the using
having to grasp the other end of the container and either pull it
out or push it upwardly by pushing on the bottom wall 16.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not to be
considered as limited to the specific embodiments described above
and shown in the accompanying drawings, which is are merely
illustrative of the best modes presently contemplated for carrying
out the invention and which are susceptible to such changes as may
be obvious to one skilled in the art, but rather that the invention
is intended to cover all such variations, modifications and
equivalents thereof as may be deemed to be within the scope of the
claims appended hereto.
* * * * *